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Liyuanxi - Chinese 'Pear Garden Theatre'

Hardback

Main Details

Title Liyuanxi - Chinese 'Pear Garden Theatre'
Authors and Contributors      By (author) Josh Stenberg
Series edited by Simon Shepherd
SeriesForms of Drama
Physical Properties
Format:Hardback
Pages:192
Dimensions(mm): Height 198,Width 129
Category/GenreDrama
Opera
ISBN/Barcode 9781350157392
ClassificationsDewey:792.50951
Audience
Tertiary Education (US: College)
Illustrations 10 bw illus

Publishing Details

Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Imprint Methuen Drama
Publication Date 15 December 2022
Publication Country United Kingdom

Description

This book offers a stimulating introduction to the Hokkien music drama known as liyuanxi ('pear garden theatre'), heir and current expression of one of China's oldest unbroken xiqu ('Chinese opera') traditions. It considers the genre's history prior to the 20th century, its signal successes before and after the Cultural Revolution, and its national prominence today. Beginning with an analysis of the form's aesthetics and techniques, it proceeds to an overview of its rich and distinctive narrative repertoire, including several dramas unique to the genre. Josh Stenberg illustrates liyuanxi's distinctive musical and narrative qualities and presents the performance art's place, not only in Chinese drama and theatre history, but also in the culture of the historic port city of Quanzhou and the broader Hokkien region and diaspora. This study focuses on the work of the only professional theatre troupe in the genre, the Fujian Province Liyuanxi Experimental Theatre (FPLET), and examines the practice of director and leading actor Zeng Jingping, whose performances have focused attention on the genre's expression of women's desires and ambitions, and on her colleague, playwright Wang Renjie. It argues that new scripts engage with the issues of contemporary China while respecting the genre's traditions and conventions, and have led to rewritings of traditional repertoire by younger female authors. Stenberg's book skilfully demonstrates how a traditional theatre can adapt and thrive in a contemporary society, providing an indispensable introduction while whetting the appetite for the genre's exhilarating live performances.

Author Biography

Josh Stenberg is a lecturer in Chinese Studies at the School of Languages and Cultures in the University of Sydney, Australia. For the last fifteen years, he has worked for, on, and with xiqu (Chinese opera) companies and performers.